Ship Makes $20M Visit to Nassco’s Dry Dock

Nassco/General Dynamics Corp., the last major shipyard on the West Coast, said May 20 it has begun the dry docking part of a $20 million repair job on the Navy amphibious warship USS Pearl Harbor.

Work will include an extensive renovation and modernization of the 610-foot dock landing ship, including inspection and testing of all onboard systems and components. The Department of Defense awarded the contract to Nassco in January after the Pearl Harbor returned to its home port in San Diego from a long deployment in the Pacific.

Nassco is the lead facility for repair and maintenance work on all San Diego home ported LSD-class amphibious assault ships and FFG 7-class frigates.

Earlier this week, at Nassco’s yard in the Barrio Logan area, Ray Mabus, the secretary of the Navy, named the newest large cargo ship being built at the yard after Cesar Chavez, the late American Latino who fought for the rights of farm workers and who served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 to 1948.

That decision was criticized by Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-El Cajon, who said there were more deserving Americans that should have been considered.